Digital risks and adolescents: The relationships between digital game addiction, emotional eating, and aggression

Abstract

Nowadays, weight gain and obesity are major health-threatening issues for children. Emotional eating, a negative health condition that can lead to obesity in children, is a defence mechanism for coping with negative emotions. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationships between emotional eating behaviour and digital game addiction, which can cause stress and aggression in adolescents. This study was conducted with 856 adolescents from the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The data were collected using a personal information form, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), the Digital Game Addiction Scale (DGAS-7), and the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). In this study, 32.4% of the adolescents were addicted to digital games. The male adolescents had higher BPAQ, DGAS, and EES mean scores. There was also a relationship between digital game addiction, aggressive behaviour, and emotional eating. This is a significant study because it shows that digital game addiction and aggressive behaviour are important determinants of emotional eating. The results of this study indicate that emotional eating is a component of digital game addiction that increases the risk of adolescent obesity.

Genç Yetişkinlerde Algılanan Sosyal Destek ve Kendini Açmanın Dijital Oyun Bağımlılığı Üzerindeki Yordayıcı Etkisi

“…Dijital oyun bağımlılığına ilişkin literatür incelendiğinde çocuklar ve ergenlerle yürütülen çalışmaların çoğunlukta olduğu görülmektedir (7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Bununla birlikte yetişkinlerle yürütülen çalışmalar da bulunmaktadır (2,(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

Digital competence as a protective factor against gaming addiction in children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong

“…In addition, studies have shown that children or adolescents with gaming addiction are more likely to develop physical health problems such as obesity and insomnia. 6 , 7 They are also more likely to exhibit aggression, 8 impulsive behaviours, and psychiatric symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. 9 Children and adolescents with gaming addiction are prone to risky online behaviours such as cyberbullying, in which the perpetrator causes malicious, repetitive, and hostile harm to individuals or groups via the internet.…”

The role of life satisfaction in the association between problematic technology use and anxiety in children and adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…The benefits of online learning contrast with a possible long-term risk of prolonged screen use (Wong 2021). Considering that young people also reinforced their social network with their friends and peers in this manner, the risk of misuse of these technologies has risen, which is associated with other health problems (Caner & Evgin 2021). Under such circumstances, children, and adolescents' behaviours, such as physical activity, were drastically impacted due to the prolonged home confinement (Bates et al 2020;Xiang et al 2020).…”